Allah's Mercy via Children

Have you ever pondered over how much love, affection and mercy Allah (swt) puts in our hearts for children? How many times have you felt sad but the smile of a child, even if temporarily, made all your worries vanish in an instant? How many times have you seen a child hurt themself and rushed over to comfort them? Can you honestly say you've seen a child crying through pain but not felt heartbroken inside? Do you remember the joy you felt when a child close to you spoke their first word or took their first step? Do you remember how painful it felt when you went away from them for a period of time? Do you remember how much you missed them? Yet, do you know that Allah (swt) has also put affection in this child's heart for you! Have you seen the beautiful smile on a child's face when they see you? Do you remember when they were upset they'd find comfort in your arms?

A few years a go, when I initially moved to London, I didn't go home for about 3 weeks. The first time I went back I remember how one of my beloved nieces, who was probably 2 at that time, rushed towards me as fast as she could with the most beautiful of smiles and happiness in her eyes and just clung on to me. I remember how for the rest of that night she followed me everywhere thinking I might leave again. It was one of the most beautiful moments in my life. One of those moments you capture in your mind and replay over and over again.

If you find that the love and affection described above does not exist in your heart or in the heart of children close to you, then, I suggest you take heed from the example of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh):

Abu Hurayrah (RA) said, "The Prophet of Allah (PBUH) kissed Hasan ibn 'Ali while Aqra' ibn Habis was sitting nearby. Aqra' said, 'I have ten children and have never kissed one of them.' The Prophet (PBUH) looked at him and said, 'Those who show no mercy will be shown no mercy.'"

Yet, sometimes we forget that we were once one of those children… There were people who loved us like this… There were people whose hearts were broken when we cried… There were people who stayed up all night for us… There were people who went to great lengths to make us smile, to comfort us, to feed us, to clothe us and to protect us. These people were more than likely our parents. The love, affection & mercy you feel towards other children should serve as a reminder to yourself as to how much your parents must have loved you and how many sacrifices they made for you. May Allah (swt) grant us all the ability to be even more merciful towards our parents in their old age. Wallahi we will probably never be able to repay our mother for even the single instance of pain she felt whilst she was carrying us in her stomach... #Reflect